Kayla Bitten is a public health researcher, conservationist, and maternal health advocate working at the intersection of environmental justice, reproductive health, and Black feminist care. She is the founder and executive director of Sulae Health Inc. (formerly The Postpartum Clinic), a nonprofit advancing environmentally conscious, culturally grounded breastfeeding and early childhood nutrition support, care, and education.

Her research examines water quality, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and environmental exposures as critical — yet often overlooked — determinants of maternal and infant health, particularly in the U.S. South. Through academic research, community-based projects, and public scholarship, her work centers how land, water, and infrastructure shape reproductive outcomes.

Kayla is the creator and host of The First Waters, a research and storytelling platform exploring maternal hydrology, environmental health, and reproductive justice. Her work bridges science, policy, and lived experience to translate environmental data into accessible tools for communities, advocates, and decision-makers.

With over a decade of experience as a doula, integrative feeding and lactation specialist, and maternal health educator, Kayla has worked across grassroots, nonprofit, and policy spaces to advance equitable, sustainable models of care. She regularly presents her research at conferences and universities and collaborates with environmental and maternal health organizations nationwide.

Through writing, research, and community partnership, Kayla’s work seeks to shift narratives, influence policy, and build regenerative systems of care — grounded in the belief that the health of our communities begins with the health of the land and water that sustain us.